The niche and paratextual industries of games and play

“CHIN MUSIC”

Chin Music is a short and fast memory game that tests first of all your memory (Duh!) but also your ability to bluff and improvise your way through a game. The game “Chin Music” was created by Talen Lee who is a part of the Invincible Ink community where individuals work to design both analog and digital games.

The game is a play on those classic memory games that you would play as a kid and calls for players to memorise the deck of cards being placed in front of them by other players while putting their own down and reading out loud the order that they were placed.

This may seem like all fun and games. However, the phrases on the cards make it somewhat difficult to remember and read out loud due to their tongue-twisting nature.

These tongue-twisting phrases “Biff, Bash, Boffo, Whallop Whack and What For!” or ‘Olde-Timey Fightey Sound Effectse’ as Talen Lee calls them are a funky and quirky feature of the game and definitely make it challenging and entertaining (seriously, try and say them ten times really fast).

The rules are quite simple to follow in this game and the rulebook can be found at this URL or on the QR Code on the box.

Play a card face up on top of the stack, if you can.

Recite aloud, starting with the bottom card, all the cards in the stack, including the card you addedd to it.

If another player thinks you made a mistake, they can call you out.

If a player makes a mistake, the round ends and you start again. But the player who lost must pick up the deck of cards in the middle.

If your memory fails you it is the perfect opportunity to test out your poker face by bluffing and improvising your way through your turn. This is definitely a loophole that the game allows for players to experience and I think it definitely adds another layer of interest to the game. Where not only do you have to memorise each card placed on the deck, but also be extra careful and listen to the other players as they play. The game ends when a player has zero cards, where the player (hypothetically) goes outside and shows the gathering ruffians What for! by plowing into the crowds outside with your knuckles out and your braggadocio ready to go!

Chin Music by Talen Lee is definitely a unique and quirky game that will test your memory. The game is quick and very easy to get the hang of with its well-designed rules and playing cards.